Lodestones are technically speaking a very special kind of mineral, an iron ore called magnetite. Although magnetite is quite abundant, lodestone is surprisingly rare. In fact, very few magnetites are real lodestones. They have the well known magnetic power of attract iron and steel. Those natural magnets are still a kind of scientific mystery because…

Smell is a direct, unfiltered sense. Odors, perfumes, stinks are immediately perceived by our sense and goes directly to the brain. Obviously such a great faculty should have its magickal counterpart, and in fact, early records prove the great antiquity of the sacred and spiritual use of incenses, herbs, resins and perfumes. Fumigations of strong…

Magick has a deep relationship with the environment and the natural and also philosophical elements. Probably the Fire element and its control shaped mankind’s destiny not only in terms of food, protection, etc but in terms of spirituality as well. There was something immense in the first flint sparkles to start a camp fire. For…

Hoodoo always had iconic products, among them, oils have always been the firsts. The meaning of oils in Hoodoo has a spiritual, magical, esoteric, occult and shamanic nature. Oils represents the essence, the phisical juices of plants, mineral, animal species. Their use in spiritual practices is older as mankind being tied to food and fire,…

Conjure (also known as “hoodoo” or “rootwork”) is a style of African-American folk magic practiced in the Old South, before the American Civil War. For hundreds of years, millions of men, women and children representing countless African tribes were kidnapped and brought to the New World to work on cotton plantations and cut sugar cane,…

Every culture seems to have its own definition of “black” and “white” magic; a few I’ve encountered over the years: High magic (“theurgy”) calls on God (or gods) for self-improvement; low magic (“theurgy”) manipulates earthly or underworld forces to satisfy practical survival needs White magic respects human free will; black magic is coercive and boundary-violating…

The term “necromancy” comes from European sorcery, where it was originally “nigromancy” – a type of dark magic focused on summoning demons into blood drenched circles and triangles, accompanied by lengthy prayers in Latin. Over the centuries, “nigromancy” evolved into “necromancy” and came to mean any kind of magic or divination involving the human dead,…

There are endless ways to time your spells in Hoodoo, Rootwork & Conjure, with origins in all sorts of different cultures: Moon Phases The Kongo people of Central Africa were one of the largest tribal groups brought to the Americas with the slave trade so their ideas about nature and the spirit world had a…

Total overkill, but one rainy afternoon about 10 years ago I cross-referenced all of the most commonly used hoodoo roots & herbs with their supposed astrological and elemental associations, as well as their genders – 95% of this info is from the Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook By Karen Harrison. Ingredient Type Gender Planet Element Acacia Herbs Male…